Two cotes of clear on the wood , tissue on with thinners, then heated Aryldite ,
Scraped of again to just leave a remanant in the tissue, and there as tough as old boots,
At least use tissue covering and two pot paint, to toughen the wood a little and keep out the fuel .
or teo pot CLEAR over the paint to finish, with two or four coats at the nose / tank area.
GOODYEAR FOREVER ! M.S.